Painter's Nightmare
by SiriusMarauderFan
Summary: Drabble. Lily and James are trying to decide what to paint the nursery, and Sirius is giving them his unwanted opinion. Written for the Crayola Colors Challenge in the HP Fanfiction Challenges forum.


**Author's Note:**

I have no energy to defend the randomness you're about to read. Except, maybe, I was really tired ...?

**Painter's Nightmare**

"What about this one?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Can you be a little bit more specific, please?"

"It's too ... Sirius!"

"It's too Sirius?"

"No, no. Sirius, get in here!"

With a loud 'POP' Sirius Black apparated from his best friend's kitchen to his best friend's guest bedroom. Of course, it didn't really look like a bedroom any more. All the furniture had been removed earlier, and a large paint-splattered tarp now covered the floor, on top of which lay rollers, paint brushes and other things one might need to paint a room. All they needed now was the paint.

"Yeah, mate. What's up?"

"Can you please explain to Lily what's _wrong_ with this color?" James motioned to his pregnant wife, who was holding up a bright yellow paint chip and looking slightly annoyed.

"It's too yellow," Sirius said simply.

"Exactly!"

"Well, I like it. And the name is cute 'Banana Mania.'"

"Sounds like something you'd find in the zoo," Sirius muttered.

"Honey, this is going to be a nursery. Don't you think we should tone down the color a bit?"

"But nurseries are supposed to be cheerful."

"Nothing is that cheerful. Not even Dumbledore on his happiest day is that cheerful," Sirius said.

"Okay, I guess I can let it go." Lily tossed the paint chip into the growing discarded pile and picked up a new one. "Here we go, this one's more ... subdued." It was a dark green.

The men studied it for a few seconds.

"What's it called?" James finally asked. She looked on the back.

"Asparagus."

"Asparagus," Sirius repeated, thinking it over. "James, isn't that the thing your mum made me eat when I slept over before third year?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"Merlin, that was gross."

"Oh, stop complaining. You only had to have it once. I got it all the time."

"Boys, can we please focus?"

"Lils, we _are_ focusing," James insisted. "Sirius and I have just determined that we can't go with that color."

"That's right," Sirius chimed in. "There's no way we can look at that color without thinking about the vegetable, which is disgusting."

Lily sighed. "Fine. Why don't one of you pick a color, then?"

James covered his eyes with one hand and pointed a finger at the pile. "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a griffin by the talon. If he shrieks, let him go. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe." He put his finger down on a paint chip and opened his eyes. "Oh, Cadet Blue. It's ... nice."

"Yeah. Nice," Lily agreed.

Sirius stared at the couple incredulously. "You've got to be joking. It looks terrible!"

Lily turned to him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, you don't get a say in this. You're not even going to be in this room."

"I'm not? _I'm not?_ I'm her bloody godfather, and as such I think I have a right to make decisions where she is concerned." He went over to the pile of chips, pushing James out of the way, and selected one. "There. Black. Something to remind the baby of her loving godfather." He grinned.

"Black? Sirius, that's-"

"Brilliant, I know. Hey, remember that time you helped me paint my bedroom black?"

James frowned. "You mean the time your father nearly had us both beheaded on the spot and your mother made us repaint it that ugly brown?"

"Oh, um ... yeah. That time."

Lily shook her head at them. "What makes you think you're going to be godfather, anyway?"

"Am I not?"

"Lily was thinking of making Remus the godfather," James explained.

Sirius nodded and turned to her. "So you would prefer Timberwolf?" he asked, holding up a grey chip. She snatched it from his hand and threw it on the floor. "Now that wasn't very nice, was it? What kind of behavior are you teaching my sweet little goddaughter?"

"Oh, for the last time, we're not having a girl! The healer said it's definitely a boy!"

"It is not," he said firmly. "It's a pretty little baby girl and her name is Sirina."

"Sirina?"

"Yeah. Sirina Lily Potter. I figured if it was a boy you'd want to name it after James and I wouldn't get a mention."

"Hate to break it to you, mate, but I don't think you're getting a mention either way," James told him. "We've decided that if we have a girl, we're calling her Elena Lily, after Mum."

Sirius' smile fell. "Fine. But the least you can do, after rejecting my name and making the Man Who Would Be Wolf the godfather ... the _least_ you can do is let me choose the nursery color."

Lily opened her mouth to object, but Sirius beat her to it and held up a new, light green paint chip.

"Magic Mint!" he said excitedly.

There was a moment of silence while the couple looked it over before Lily let out a little squeal.

"Sirius, it's perfect!"

"It does look rather nice," James commented.

Sirius grinned again. "Great. Does this mean you'll reconsider the name?"

"No," the couple said firmly.

He sighed. "What about being godfather?"

James looked to Lily.

"I'll think about it," she said with a smile.

**The End**

**Author's Note**

So, I was only supposed to use the first four colors mentioned, but then I found a list of all Crayola colors ever made and I found Timberwolf and Magic Mint and I could stop laughing, so I had to use them. =D

Please review. You'll make my day.

-Lizzy


End file.
